


There's a Bookmark Where I Met You

by Romancemesomeziam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Curly-Haired Liam Payne, Librarian Zayn Malik, M/M, Mentions Bullying, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 11:46:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19767547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romancemesomeziam/pseuds/Romancemesomeziam
Summary: Zayn finds himself having to deal with a boy causing a commotion in the Library he works at.OrWhen Zayn finds himself faced with Curly Liam and can't help himself.





	There's a Bookmark Where I Met You

It was another quiet afternoon, the library mostly empty do to sunny forecast although the sun was about to set. In reality it was like this almost every day, the different rooms of the library vacant of any occupants during the summer months, the university paying only a few students to keep it running. The regular librarians were all on vacation, leaving Zayn alone as head researcher.

But he didn’t mind the silence, on the contrary he rather liked the stillness of it all. It allowed him to read hundreds of books every summer, devouring the foreign collections and special editions that normal students barely had access to. Most people his age would probably think his vacations were beyond boring, cooped up in a historically architectured library with no one to keep him company but heroes from novels and the occasional bystander that got lost while looking for the pool.

Yet Zayn loved every minute of it. Even if he hadn’t worked as a librarian, he probably would have spent most of his days there anyways, littering the tables with towers of books he wanted to go through.

He had never really been much of an outgoing child, keeping to himself unless he hung out with Ant and Danny where he allowed himself to let go a little more. He had known them for years, to the point where they become more like family than friends.

Sometimes they came by the library, bringing him some food and new packs of smokes when he was out. Every morning Danny would stop by with a cup of smoking black coffee, offering a goofy grin before he left to meet his other friends, the ones Zayn usually avoided. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them, or that they didn’t like him, he simply preferred to be on his own or with a few people at a time. He tended to get overloaded quickly, the loudness of people annoying him and often times, he found them rather ignorant.

He understood that people didn’t all like to read like he did, knew that he had a wider variety and knowledge about most things than other 20 year olds, but he hated when people talked without knowing something. He preferred when people asked questions, or were open to being helped, educated. But most 20 year olds nowadays were douchebags, claiming to know everything and responding to being told they were wrong with fists rather than arguments.

So Zayn strayed from the popular culture, flipping through an old comic book while tracing the lines to a new tattoo design. Another advantage to working in the library during the summer was he had the time and money to pay for more tattoos every year, filling every inch of skin on his body with original creations.

Sipping at his coffee he added another scale to the curling snake he was drawing for a shoulder piece, thinking how cool it would be. It would probably look like it was slithering across his tan, olive skin, on its way to bite off the stupid cartoon doll he’d gotten to please his little sister. She’d argued with him night after night, begging him to get a doll so he wouldn’t be lonely at university, so he’d always have a friend with him. It was a cute thought really, and Zayn had agreed, changing up the clothing to make it a little more his style but all in all keeping it as a reminder of Safaa. As a reminder of home.

The sudden slamming of the front door had Zayn jerking with surprise, spilling seething hot coffee in his lap as he hissed in pain.

He looked up hurriedly, seeing a familiar boy barging in through the front doors, running aimlessly down the aisles and into the adjacent hall. Annoyed at the abrupt interruption, Zayn tried to contain the coffee spillage as best he could before making his way towards the commotion. He forced a smile as he passed the very few students in the library scattered across the main room that all looked at him wondering what the disruption was about.

Walking quickly passed them, Zayn followed the path the intruder had taken down the  
grand hall. The lack of caffeine in his system was only adding to his annoyance as he quickened his step. Reaching a four way point, Zayn looked around, trying to find traces of the boy. There were books littering the floor on the way towards the bathroom, which he assumed had been knocked over in the haste of it all.

Huffing in frustration, he bent over, stacking them in a neat pile that he would later have to file back. He continued down the hallway, coming to a halt before the bathroom door as he heard a sniffle, the remains of someone crying.

Confused he pushed the door open lightly, peering in. It seemed empty at first appearance, no shoes to be seen under the stall doors but the light whimpers filling the air were an easy give away. Railing in his anger, Zayn walked in slowly, knocking on the only door of the stalls that was closed shut.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, even if he knew it was a dumb question. Obviously, something was wrong. Wrong enough for the boy to barge into a silent library and run himself dead into the bathroom to cry in a locked stall.

“I’m fine,” came a lowly voice, raspy no doubt from crying. Zayn could hear the boy’s labored breathing coming out in shallow pants and he wondered if he should simply walk away. Whatever happened wasn’t really any of his business.

“I’m sorry I knocked some books down, I’ll pick those up I swear,” he heard the boy say, the voice muffled through the metal door that separated them. The tone seemed familiar, a lowly base that seemed hard to forget but Zayn couldn’t quite pinpoint who it reminded him of.

With a warm feeling spreading through his chest at the boy’s words, Zayn smiled, pushing at his glasses so they wouldn’t fall of his nose. He knew it was quite stupid, his love of novels and the protective instinct he had over them, but hearing the boy care for them too made him happy.

“That’s ok babe,” he said absentmindedly. “Its my job to put them back”.

“I didn’t mean to disrupt everyone,” continued the boy, his voice still pained but slowly becoming less frantic, less watery.

“They’ll get over it,” promised Zayn, leaning against the door to the stall. For some reason he felt like he needed to help the boy. It’s not that he usually wouldn’t, but rather that for some reason he felt almost magnetized towards the boy hiding behind the door, his body buzzing with a weird type of anxiety.

“Why don’t you come out,” Zayn said, trying to make his voice soothing and inviting.

There was a pause, an eerie silence filling the air before the small clicking sound of the lock was heard, the door opening to reveal a boy sitting on the toilet, knees tightly pressed to his chest, arms wrapped around himself. His cheek was pressed to the top of his knee, hiding his face but Zayn could tell the boy’s eyes were closed from the way his lashes kept fluttering.

He knew the boy’s figure, remembered him from the very few students that were usuals during the summer. Just like Zayn, the boy loved comic books, asking at numerous occasions if they’d received new editions or if they had special collections he could access.

They had only talked a few times, Zayn doing research for the boy, but nothing more. Yet he couldn’t deny how beautiful the boy was, and now Zayn felt his heart heavy at how broken he seemed.

He was a sinful kind of gorgeous, all shy and innocent, hiding under a bed of light brown curls that created a halo above his head. Even though he was small, well smaller than Zayn, it was evident that the boy was well built, sturdy shoulders under the tight material of his white Henley.

“What’s your name?” Zayn asked, trying not to sound too heavily affected by the heat that started pooling in his stomach. It was so very wrong of him to be attracted to the youngster when he was evidently hurting, small whimpers still lingering the air.

The boy finally lifted his head, turning to face Zayn as he whispered a chocked Liam.

Zayn felt the air in his lungs leave him, his throat become tight when he could finally see the boy properly for the first time. And it was like they had never met, because the boy sat before was simply unreal. He seemed broken, his warm, brown chocolate eyes glowing from recently shed tears as he nervously tried to tame the curls that stuck out in every direction. His face was illuminated with a strong red blush but the disturbing parts were the bruises scattered across his innocent face. There were dark shades of purple blooming along his jaw, dried blood staining the front of his shirt, his lip split in half, swollen.

“Oh god,” sighed Zayn, inspecting the damage done to the boy’s face from afar, wondering what other injuries weren’t visible and why on earth someone would want to hurt him.

“I’m Zayn,” he tried, his voice coming out a little broken from the way his heart ached.He thought he heard the boy mumble an incoherent I know but it was too soft for him to be certain.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Zayn whispered, knowing that he was going down a dangerous path. The more attentively he observed the boy, the more fading bruises he could see. There were angry red marks along the side of his neck, and Liam moved with discomfort as he stretched his legs, bringing them back to his chest, making Zayn wonder if walking would be difficult at this point.

“I would rather not, if that’s ok,” Liam said, trying to stand on unsteady feet, taking a step towards Zayn as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

The boy looked so uncertain that Zayn wanted to reach out, take his hand and lead him to somewhere safe but he didn’t want to startle Liam, so he kept his hands to himself, staying close in case the boy needed help.

“I’ll just stay here a little longer if you don’t mind,” Liam mumbled, heading towards the sink where he splashed his face with water, rubbing at the dried blood that was caking his chin.

“How about you come back to my place,” offered Zayn indicating his coffee stained cardigan. He couldn’t bear the thought of allowing Liam to leave on his own and getting hurt again. “I have to head home anyways”.

Liam looked at him with a confused expression, probably wondering why Zayn was helping a complete stranger that was covered in blood and bruises. But the boy’s eyes were wide with wonder, hope and maybe a little lust as he traced the lines of Zayn`s body settling along the prominent curve of his collarbone where a few traces of his tattoos lingered.

“I don’t want to be a bother,” started Liam, eyes falling to the cold tiles when their eyes met.

“You’re not,” assured Zayn, the growing need to hug the boy rising in his chest as he stepped forward, tilting Liam’s chin up so they could look at each other properly. “No way am I letting you walk out of here alone. Plus, I’d love some company, got some left over pizza I need help finishing off and I have one of those comics you asked me for last week at my place.”

There was no real sign of agreement, no nod or anything but when Zayn turned around to exit the bathroom Liam followed behind him slowly, his eyes glued to the ground, as if ashamed to show his face. Zayn found himself feeling quite protective, angling his body so Liam was mostly hidden as they headed towards the front desk, the evening sky could be seen settling around them through the huge cathedral windows.

Kathy, a petit girl with round glasses now stood behind the counter, a fond smile on her lips as she saw Zayn approach.

“Early departure?” she asked him when she spotted Liam crowding behind him, head bowed as he suddenly reached out, hand tangling itself in the material of Zayn’s cardigan.

With effort Zayn managed not to flinch at the touch, or give in to the need to hold Liam against him.

He smiled at Kathy, nodding. “If you don`t mind.”

  
“Course not,” she replied, handing him over his book bag and cellphone. “I’ll see you tomorrow”.

“Bright and early,” promised Zayn, allowing himself to wrap a cautious arm around Liam’s small waist to guide him out the back door. He figured that whoever Liam was hiding from wouldn’t dare attack him if they were together, even less so if they walked out directly in the parking lot where Zayn`s car waited.

They went slowly, Zayn accommodating the rhythm to Liam’s slow movement who seemed to lean into his side, seeking stability as he walked but probably comfort too. They were strangers, nothing but names connecting them and few brief conversations about superheroes but it felt unusually safe and normal, as if it was meant to happen.

Nevertheless, the minute they stepped foot outside the library, Zayn's book bag tapping against his hip with every step, Liam seemed to freeze in place. Zayn could see how Liam`s eyes scanned the parking lot with panic, heart beating so fast that it could be heard over the lowly wind.

“No one’s gonna get you while you’re with me, babe” whispered Zayn, squeezing the boy’s hip to emphasize his presence as he pulled him along, taking a step forward and then another.

Liam whimpered slightly in response, hand coming up to tangle in his curly hair. He sighed in relief when he realized the lot was indeed empty, no one to be seen for miles and miles around. Leaning his head lightly on Zayn`s shoulder, the boy smiled up at him with a small thank you etched upon his lips.

When they finally reached his car, Zayn did the gentleman thing, opening the passenger door and helping Liam in before going around, throwing his bag into the back seat as he sat into the driver’s seat, turning on the ignition.

***************************

“You have a lot of books,” stuttered Liam as he settled into the black leather couch, eyes quickly moving from one tower of stacked novels to the next. “Can someone even read this much?”

Chuckling Zayn walked over to him with a cup of tea in hand, offering it to the boy who smiled at him.

“Those are only my favs,” laughed Zayn, knowing how many books were really scattered across his flat.

He watched as Liam`s eyes went wide, a small oh echoing between them as the boy`s fingers hovered over the latest copy of the young avengers.

Now that they were away from the library, Liam`s demeanor had changed. The boy smiled with easiness, fingers no longer twitching in his lap at every little sound. Zayn couldn’t help but admire how good the boy looked, even with his jaw bruised and bloody he was still shamelessly beautiful.

Heading back to the kitchen, Zayn stripped his dirty cardigan, leaving it hanging off the side of a chair as he grabbed some peas from the freezer, bringing it back to press upon Liam`s swelling face.

“This should help,” he said lowly, settling down next to Liam, allowing his fingers to trail lightly over the boy’s soft skin where he pressed the peas to his jaw.

Muttering a shy thanks, Liam fell quiet as if uneasy with Zayn`s touch. Realizing he might have overstepped his boundaries, Zayn pulled his hand away, the bag of peas falling between them. But before he could apologize, Liam`s hand covered his own, bringing the bag up to his face so Zayn could hold it once more.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Zayn watched Liam`s brow furrow before he huffed as if annoyed with himself. Zayn could see the boy’s hand running nervous circles into his thigh, before it moved slowly towards Zayn.

The small press of Liam’s hand to his jean clad thigh shouldn’t have meant much, yet it burned, almost scalding his skin from the heat.

“They don’t usually catch me,” all but whispered the boy, coaxing Zayn’s attention away from the hand on his leg as he looked up at Liam once more. The boy was talking so quietly, turning his head away from him even if he laced their fingers together over the thawing bag of peas. “I’m quicker than they are but I got distracted, didn’t see them and they jumped me.”

“Why would they do that?” asked Zayn, squeezing the boy`s hand, offering comfort and so much more, yet he didn’t even know that.

“Because I like boys,” Liam admitted, his head now completely turned away from Zayn, but his fingers were holding on to Zayn`s hand even tighter now, nails digging in his skin, almost to the point of breaking skin.

It was evident that Liam was struggling with the admission, something Zayn had once too battled with.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Liam” he assured the boy, bringing his other hand up to push Liam’s fringe off his forehead, where he leaned in to press a delicate, chase kiss. “People will always be afraid of things they don’t understand, things that are different but that doesn’t mean they’re right. And it doesn’t mean they have a right to hurt you.”

For a few minutes nothing could be heard but the sound of the late night traffic by the open window, a light breezing licking at their skin. Liam had curled into his side with a small cry, his eyes dry but exasperation taking over his body. Zayn had allowed it, wrapping his arm around the boy’s shoulder, the other sitting in his lap while he held Liam’s hand. The bag of peas lay forgotten by their side, as Zayn hummed under his breath, hating the way his gut tightened every time Liam’s shifted closer to him.

It was wrong to be aroused when he was supposed to comfort the boy, to help him deal with the difficult situation. They barely knew each other and in Liam’s fragile state, it was obvious that the last thing he needed was a one night hook up with the university librarian.

“Think I’ll take a quick shower,” Zayn suddenly blurted out, untangling himself from Liam`s limbs as he stood on fumbled feet, his glasses almost falling to the ground.

He could see the confused expression as it spread over the boy’s face, small fingers immediately starting to twitch in his lap where their hands had been intertwined seconds ago.

“Help yourself to anything you want,” he said hastily, backing away towards the bathroom before his arousal started to show. It would be embarrassing and completely inappropriate, therefore escaping now to save face seemed like the best option.

Zayn saw Liam nodded a little, his split lip downturned into a frown, but he pushed the image out of his mind, turning away as he stepped into the small bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Leaning against the wooden panel, Zayn sighed in frustration, rubbing at his face as he felt his dick stir.

“You’re an idiot,” he whispered to himself, tugging off his t-shirt that seemed to have absorbed just as much coffee as his cardigan. He stripped the rest of his clothing, settling his glasses on the edge of the sink before stepping into the tub, closing the curtain as he started the steaming stream of water.

Zayn closed his eyes, groaning as the warm water licked at his skin, sliding off his body that shivered in pleasure. He knew he should probably turn the dial until nothing but frozen water touched him but he couldn’t help the way his mind filled with images of the innocent boy, glowing brown eyes looking at him as he bit into his lip, holding bad a moan.

This was shameful, probably a little twisted but he kept replaying the little conversations he had had with Liam in the past in his mind as his length grew, hardening from the memories. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered small details about the boy. His shy smile when their fingers had touched as Zayn had given him his ID card back, or the way he licked at his lips every time he said thank you.

The memory had Zayn wondering what the boy’s mouth would taste like, if his skin would taste the same or it would be a unique flavor of its own. Giving in to the growing pressure in his gut, Zayn reached down, encircling his length as he realized just how hard he already was.

“Fucking hell,” moaned Zayn, his hips thrusting up into his hand, the touch of callous fingers to sensitive skin making him shiver.

“You’re really beautiful,” he heard Liam’s voice vaguely, figuring it was his mind feeding his ego with compliments. But seconds later he heard the curtain being pulled back, causing his eyes to snap open.

Before him stood Liam, gloriously naked, shielding himself from Zayn’s view but his cheeks were stained red, no longer from blood but rather from excitement.

“Can I?” asked the boy, gesturing towards Zayn as if demanding permission to join him.

And for a second Zayn didn’t know what to do, standing frozen under the warm spray of the shower, as his hair fell into his face and he evaluated the situation. He was simply captivated by Liam’s pale skin, the innocent eyes all but begging to be taken. He knew he should say no, guide Liam back to the safety of his living room where clothes would be the most hated of barriers, but he just couldn’t do it.

“Are you sure?” he questioned, wanting Liam to state firmly what he wanted, scared that he was taking advantage of the boy’s emotions.

But Liam only nodded with lust, a shy smile plastered to his face as he cast his eyes down, stepping into the shower to join Zayn. When he looked up again he was biting his lips, looking sinfully delicious in the confined shadows of the shower.

They stood awkwardly facing one another, Zayn’s back to the spray that was the only sound to be heard in the small bathroom, both their breathing accelerating as they assessed one another. Their eyes battled together before traveling along the lines of each other's body. Liam’s skin erupting in goose bumps as Zayn allowed his fingers to trail down the boy’s stomach, mesmerized by the feeling.

“You’re the one that’s beautiful,” Zayn muttered, captivated by how responsive Liam was to his touch, leaning into it, begging for more as the boy step forth, both palms coming to settle on Zayn’s chest.

“I’m ordinary,” grumbled Liam, fingers edging along Zayn’s collarbone before he pressed his lips there, mirror his own touch.

Shaking his head, Zayn cupped the boy’s face, tipping it up towards his.

“You’re far from ordinary,” disagreed Zayn, leaning in to press his lip’s to Liam’s. It was slow and gentle, a promise for more if desired but he didn’t want to seem greedy so he pulled back.

Liam whimpered immediately, hands coming up to wrap around Zayn’s neck as he plastered his naked body to him.

“Show me then.”

Muttering a pained fuck under his breath, Zayn search the boy’s face for a sign of discomfort but all he found was lust and need, reflecting his own emotions. The words were just the trigger he needed before he leaned for, forcing one of his legs between Liam’s thighs, allowing the boy to shameless grind on him.

“What do you want?, he asked, voice thick with arousal but he ignored his own need, solely concentrated on showing Liam just how beautiful he was. He wanted the boy to see that being gay wasn’t shameful, and accepting the way his mind felt was just as wonderful when done with his body.

“You,” whispered Liam, eyes already glazed and darkened as he looked up at Zayn, fingers threading through his hair. “I don’t care”.

Nodding Zayn leaned down to kiss at the boy’s jaw, careful not to press to harshly against the bruises that bloomed upon his skin. He allowed his hands to travel up Liam’s back, massaging his fingers into the knots at the bottom of his spin as he kissed at his neck.

Reaching down with one hand, he encircled the Liam’s hard dick, pumping it a few times as he offered a cocky smile, licking the fallen drops of water off the boy’s collarbone. He craved the groan that escaped the youngster’s lips, feeding his own growing desire as he rocked their bodies together.

“You feel good babe?” Zayn asked teasingly, sucking at the birthmark standing proudly on the boy’s neck.

Liam whimpered in response, thrusting into Zayn’s touch. Grinning over the boy’s shoulder, Zayn reached out for the waterproof lube he kept in the shower, coating his fingers in a generous amount before bring his hand down again. Liam bucked into him immediately, moaning at the touch.

Smiling wickedly, Zayn wrapped his hand around his own hardened length, bringing them both together as he jerked them off in sync. Liam’s reaction was almost violent, eyes widening as he dug his fingers into Zayn’s back, fingers sliding along the wet skin.

He knew it wouldn’t take long, the feeling of their dicks pressed together, their bodies moving against one another too much for Liam as he slumped forward lightly, face pressed into Zayn’s chest as his breathing become frantic.

“Please,” begged Liam, his lips ghosting over Zayn’s . “S'not my first time.”

There was a sting of jealousy that coursed through Zayn at the admission, the hold on their cocks tightening for a second before he release it, Liam’s pained whine tainting the thickly steamed room.

It took a second for his mind to adjust, his own hips bucking at the open possibility.

“You shouldn’t admit that to other men,” groaned Zayn, his free hand coming to grip at the boy’s ass, spreading him apart so his fingers could brush along his hole. “You might make them jealous.”

Liam mewled at the touched, pushing back into Zayn’s hand yet leaning his face further into Zayn’s chest, lips attacking his nipple. Hissing from surprise Zayn smacked the youngster’s bum lightly, eliciting a moan that only sparked more interest.

Adding lube to his other hand, Zayn resumed to stroking Liam’s dick leisurely, brushing his other hand along the boy’s hole. Without losing time, he pushed in the tip of one finger in, groaning into the boy’s neck when he felt Liam push back immediately.

“Close,” he heard Liam grunt as he started pushing his finger in and out, backing the younger boy until his back was pressed up against the cold tile wall, restricting the movement of his hand but gaining more control over all.

“You can let go babe,” Zayn forced out between gritted teeth, his own orgasm edging closer, his arm tiring from the repeated movement but he only increased his cadence, encircling his length with Liam’s one more time.

That was enough to send the boy over the edge, coming in large gulps as his eyes snapped closed, hands desperately clawing all over Zayn’s body. It was simply a beautiful sight to see, the innocent features curling into pleasure, Liam's swollen lips parted as he moaned out a  
needy Zayn.And Zayn kept on jerking them off, knowing how sensitive Liam’s dick had to be every time they moved against one another, every time his finger pushed in further.

Nearing his own precipice, he eased his finger out, reaching out to hold the boy’s hip against his own body, seeking friction, skin, kisses. Anything really, because when he finally came, a silent cry dying on his lips, all he could see was the image of the boy with curly hair smiling shyly at him the first time they met, exchanging a copy of green lantern as their fingers had touched.

Slumping down into Liam, Zayn wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist, grinning when Liam whined at the loss of touch on his softening length. They stayed silent for a moment, swaying together under the now cooling water, before Zayn turned the dial off, the room now feeling empty.

“You’re so far from ordinary,” Zayn finally said, pulling away to look into the boy’s eyes, fingers brushing over the cut in his lip. “You’re everything”.

And Liam blushed in response, timid as he inched on the tip of his toes for a kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes glimmered with hope, possibly forgetting the cruelty of the world while he found a safe haven in Zayn's arms. Writing the first line to a story that was yet to come.


End file.
